Bengal could soon become a coffee growing state. A pilot project to grow coffee at Purulia's Ayodhya hills, if successful, would boost the economy of this poverty-stricken area and also provide a fillip to tourism.

The project is a collaborative venture between the West Bengal Comprehensive Area Development Corporation (WBCADC) and IITKharagpur's Science and Technology Entrepreneurs' Park (STEP).Spread over 11 acres earmarked for now, the plantation will employ around 40 full-time farmers and provide livelihood to an additional 100odd locals, said officials. Also, tourists visiting the area will get their steaming cuppa with a local flavour as an added attraction.

“Early this month, I gave a presentation on this project to the Purulia zilla parishad. IIT has already produced and processed coffee in non-traditional areas on a research basis. With the onset of monsoon, we can expect the plantation process to begin in August-September. One acre in the Ayodhya hills area and 10 acres at Kumari Kanan have been earmarked for the project. The area will be expanded, if required. By the end of this month, state ministers
are expected to visit the area,“ said Soumen Palit, the project head of Eco Yes Technologies, a STEP-registered entrepreneurial body .

“The conditions in Purulia are similar to that in Kharagpur, where we successfully cultivated coffee.The soil parameters and the soil's water holding capacity are similar.The coffee beans will be transported from Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh. The quality of coffee is expected to be very good and it will have commercial potential. The temperature in Purulia is also conducive for coffee cultivation, although we will go for creation of a micro-climate through some alteration in plantation to lower the ambient temperature by two to three degree centigrade. The plantation will be entirely organic. If it's a double-hedged plantation, we'll have over 2,000 plants per acre. The
budget sanctioned is about Rs 3 lakh per acre. The cost to bring planting material to Purulia would be Rs 10 per plant. The first harvest will be after 18 months as the plants have to be shaped and made into a bush form for best yield. There will be four farmers for cultivation, harvesting, trimming, plucking and more for every acre. At least 50 farmers will be trained,“ he added.

Sushanta Khatua, Ayodhya hills project officer-in-charge of WBCADC, said that the project will not only lead to economic development but will also boost tourism. “At our guest houses, we receive 7,0008,000 guests each year. If the trial run is successful, tourists can savour local coffee. While we are focusing on growing tea that has been tried and tested in the area, IIT has said coffee can be cultivated and so we are going ahead with it,“ he said.